MHA: Rise of Phoenix
by RavenTheFalcon
Summary: When an ancient power is awakened by a young boy, the world will forever change. Villains and heroes alike will strive to obtain the boy and his powers by any means necessary. With nobody to guide him but his power alone, Ryosuke is admitted into a school far away that promises to train him into a hero: U.A. Follows the basic plot of MHA with my own stuff added in.
1. A Burning Sensation

**Ch.1: A Burning Sensation**

* * *

The boy wandered further into the mountain, frost forming on his nose as he traveled further. The steep mountain held nothing to the imagination: it was large, treacherous and stupidly easy to fall off of. As he ascended, he fell further behind his comrades. They turned to face him. "Come on, Ryosuke! You're gonna make us fall behind!" One of the boys called to him.

Ryosuke stood up slowly, shaking. "S-Sorry, Aki. I d-didn't know how cold it was up h-here..." he mumbled. The blue-eyed boy looked at him with concern.

"Are you okay, Ryosuke? You're the only one without a quirk here, and if you die here, we'll all be in trouble." Aki joked. Ryosuke cracked a frozen smile. "I-I'll live. Besides, aren't we n-near the top?" He asked. Another boy looked back. "Aki, Ryosuke! Hurry the hell up!" He called.

"Itashi! Can you heat him up? Dude's freezing back here!" Aki called. Itashi grumbled. "Alright. Come here, dude." Ryosuke wobbled over to him and Itashi put his hand over his stomach. In a minute, Ryosuke felt his body begin to reheat. He smiled.

"Itashi, you saved my ass. Lucky you got a quirk like that." Itashi smirked. "Nice to be appreciated sometimes, eh? Thermal energy ain't nowhere near as flashy as some of the other quirks, but it serves its function well." Itashi motioned for them to follow.

They trudged along in the snow in silence before Ryosuke decided to speak up again. "What're we looking for again?" He asked. "There's supposedly some ancient statue at the top of the mountain. My sensei said that I oughta go find it and snap a photo. It's for my endurance training. If I can take this, I can take anything." Itashi explained. Aki nodded.

"It's also good for me. My quirk allows me to manipulate electromagnetic waves, and the reception up here is unbelievably strong. I can sense planes from up here!" He commented. They nodded and marched along in the deep snow.

"Man, I'm seriously pissed. Spring break is almost over, and I'm not about to go back to school and deal with that again." Itashi grumbled. "Dude, chill. We've only got like, 7 weeks left? We're practically finished!" Aki reassured him. "Whatever." "Guys! Check it!" Ryosuke pointed off to the distance.

"That statue thing! It's right there!" Running haphazardly and very awkwardly in their mountain gear, they stumbled to the foot of the statue. The group slowly looked up, realizing the form the statue took. "A Phoenix? At the top of a snow covered mountain?" Aki asked aloud. Itashi shrugged. "Whoever built this obviously hasn't ever seen grass. Anywhere in the world would literally be a better place for this damn thing. Still, I need that picture."

Itashi opened his backpack and pulled out a camera with a tripod. He set it up and the three boys went to stand beside the statue. They huddled to either side and smiled. "Aki, take the picture, will ya?" Itashi asked. Aki went to work, using his quirk to turn on the camera and snap the photo. A bright flash ensued, and the boys were blinded for a moment. They all went to the camera and observed their photo, smiling. "Well guys, we did it. We scaled a huge mountain at age 15. Not many people can attest to that." Aki said. Itashi looked at Ryosuke.

"And even fewer can say they did it without a quirk. Can't believe your parents even gave you the green light on this." "It's only because they knew you were going and they knew your quirk, man. Also, because they want alone time." "Yeah, living with you can get pretty annoying." Aki tiffed. "Shut up, dude!" "Yeah, man! Alright, let's get out of here before we-"

Itashi was suddenly cut off as the ground around them started to shake. "A-Avalanche! Guys, we g-gotta go!" Aki motioned for them to follow. But before they could move, a bright light shone from the statue, enveloping the boys' vision in red. A booming voice came from the Phoenix.

 **"WHO DARES AWAKEN ME FROM MY SLUMBER!?"**

The voice demanded with fury. The boys froze, petrified and shaken to their cores. "I SENSE THE PRESENCE OF THREE YOUNG MEN! TWO STRONG...ONE WEAK." The voice boomed again. Ryosuke gasped.

 **"TELL ME, WEAK ONE, HOW YOU CAME TO BE AT THE FOOT OF MY STATUE."**

"Well, I, uh, I c-came here with my friends. They told me that there was a special statue at the top of this mountain...seems they really undersold it." He mumbled.

 **"YOUR POWER...IT IS LACKING SEVERELY. YOU ARE THE WEAKEST PERSON TO EVEN ATTEMPT TO MAKE IT HERE, AND YET THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE YOU COULD NEVER REACH ME."**

The statue stated flatly. "Well, uh, thanks, I guess? Who...are you, anyway?" With a cracking sound, the statue burst open, rocks shooting in all directions. In its place, a fiery Phoenix hovered over the ground, wings outstretched, in all its might.

 **"I AM PHOENIX! ETERNAL SERVANT OF JUSTICE! I HAVE WORKED WITH HUMANITY ON MANY OCCASIONS TO BRING JUSTICE ON VILLAINOUS PEOPLE WHO WOULD SEEK TO DESTROY THIS WORLD."**

He boomed fiercely. The Phoenix seemed to stare directly at Ryosuke, as if analyzing him.

 **"YOU! WEAK ONE! YOU HAVE PROVEN YOURSELF CAPABLE! TELL ME...DO YOU STAND FOR JUSTICE?"**

Ryosuke stood up a little taller, his hands trembling from both fear and frost. "I will uphold what is right and just until my last breath has been taken." He made a salute.

 **"HMM. INTERESTING. VERY WELL. YOUNG MAN, PREPARE YOURSELF!"**

The Phoenix called. Ryosuke looked at him nervously. "W-What for..." at that moment, the Phoenix charged at him, head on. With amazing speed, Ryosuke and the Phoenix collided, and the Phoenix entered into his chest. "AAAAA **AAAAAAH!** " Ryosuke screamed. He felt his body begin to burn from within, power surging through him. However, this power was very straining on his body. Aki and Itashi watched as their friend began to float into the air, enveloped in fire. With one swift motion, Ryosuke recoiled and sent out a wave of flames in all directions, melting all the snow in a 30 foot radius. With no more left in him, Ryosuke passed out as his friends tried to save him.

* * *

 **Flashback: Last week**

* * *

The three boys exited their small school on the corner block, all laughs and shouts. Spring break had finally arrived, and the three were more than ecstatic to get a break from school. The boys whooped and screamed shouts of joy on their walk home. "LET'S GO! WE. ARE. FREE!" Itashi yelled at the top of his lungs.

"WOO-HOO! SPRING BREAK IS HERE BABY!" Aki joined in. Ryosuke just smiled, taking it all in. The fresh air, the familiar scenery, the stores and shops, the bustling of mid-afternoon. Life was good. "Alright, guys. Let's settle down. What are we doing first?" He asked his friends.

They turned to him. "We're hitting up the arcade, that's what! I've gotta kick Aki's ass!" Itashi joked as he poked Aki, who shook his head with a grin. "Try me. But first, we should-" Aki was cut off as Itashi's phone rang. "Hang on, I'll get this." Itashi picked up his blue phone. "Hello? Oh, sensei! Y-Yes I just got off of school! Why? YOU WANT ME TO WHAT? What do you mean you're amping up my training?" He asked, with ahint of worry.

"I have to go where? And do what? I-Is that thing even real? It is? You sure? Fine, fine! I'll go get that picture. Yes, sensei, I'll have it by the end of the break. Okay, goodbye." Itashi hung up his phone and looked as if he wanted to slam it on the ground.

"COME ON! I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET A BREAK!" He shouted furiously.

"What happened?" Ryosuke asked. "Sensei says I gotta go climb a _freakin_ ' mountain, dude. There's some stupid statue at the top that I gotta get a snapshot of. Says it's for endurance and obedience training or whatever." He huffed. "Well, we'll come too. Might as well make sure you don't die, right?" Aki asked. Itashi looked at them, mystified. "Y-You'd do that...for me?" He asked. Aki smiled.

"Sure we would! Right, Ryosuke?" Ryosuke looked at him nervously. "I-I dunno, man. I mean...I don't even have a quirk." Aki slapped him on the back. "Yeah, but you're tough! Remember when you almost beat Itashi in a fight 2 years ago?" "Key word is 'almost'!" Itashi added. He nodded. "Yeah. You only won because you burned me while I was throwing you over my shoulder." He snickered.

"Shut up! Are you coming or not?!" Itashi demanded. He scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

"I'll check in with my parents and get back to you later on that. When would we be leaving anyway?" Ryosuke asked. "Like, in a few days. I wanna get this done fast so that I can still enjoy the break, y'know?" Itashi explained.

"Okay! We'll be ready by then! For now, let's hit the arcade!" Aki announced enthusiastically. The boys nodded. "Right! Let's go!" They continued down the street, venturing closer and closer into the heart of their town.

Later that night, Ryosuke entered his home on the edge of town. He opened the maple door and stepped into his modest home. The smell of fresh fruit filled his nose, and he smiled. "Hi mom! Hi dad! I'm home!" He called.

He went down a hallway and entered into the kitchen, where his mother had begun to cook and his father was reading the newspaper. "Hi, Ryosuke!" His mother called sweetly. "Feels good to be off school, eh kiddo?" His dad asked. He nodded. "Feels great!" He sat down and helped himself to an apple. Gnawing into it, he decided that now would be the best time to ask.

"Um, mom, dad, can I ask you something?" He watched as his parents' eyes met nervously, unsure of what would follow. "Yes? What is it?" "W-Well, Itashi has been training really hard to develop his quirk, a-and his sensei has given him instructions to go on a trek up Mount Akina, the small mountain a few miles north." His dad eyed him suspiciously. "What does this have to do with you, though?" He asked.

Ryosuke scratched his head. "Well, I don't wanna just leave him to do that alone, you know? It's kinda...dangerous. So, me and Aki were wondering if we could...go with him." "You want to go climb a mountain, on your own?" His mother asked, completely shocked. Ryosuke scratched his head. "Yeah." "Why?"

"I dunno, mom...I just...something about this...I wanna do it. How many people do you know that have climbed a mountain before?" He asked. "Son, you can't climb that mountain!" His father protested. Ryosuke seemed taken aback, shocked. He wasn't expecting such resistance to the idea. "Why?!"

"Because you can't protect yourself! You don't have a-" his mother stopped, and Ryosuke's eyes went wide. That was _not_ a valid reason, no matter whose mouth it came from. "So that's why, huh? Because I'm not _special_ like you?!" He demanded, furious.

"No, it's not that, it's just..." "Just what, mom? That because your second kid doesn't have a quirk, he's denied the ability to do anything remotely dangerous?" He shot back.

"Ryosuke, this is much more than a dangerous situation, this is _life and death_. You could freeze up there." His father tried to warn him. But Ryosuke had lost all reason the moment they decided to pick on him for something out of his control. "Then let me choose! Let me choose how I live my life! I'll prove to you, to everyone that I can be just as capable without a quirk!" He shouted.

His parents sighed, restless and unwilling to argue, seeing that they'd upset their son. "Fine. Go. But you better come back in one piece, or frostbite will be the least of your problems." His mother warned, her voice shaky. Ryosuke sighed. "Good. I'm leaving in a few days. For now, I'm just gonna go lie down." The boy trudged upstairs and slammed his door, still steaming after his mom's last comment. Ryosuke knew very well that he could protect himself.

Upon learning of his lack of ability, he'd enlisted in boxing and kickboxing classes to gain a fighting edge, and had even studied like mad to get good grades. His ambition to become a police officer had sprouted from wanting to serve justice in the same way a hero did, just on a much more capable scale. Of course, his parents were not like him. His mother possessed the ability of magical hair, which let her become a decent sidekick for many years in densely populated cities like Tokyo. His father, on the other hand, was a retired detective, who used his quirk to tell whether or not people were lying, by analyzing their brainwaves as he interrogated them.

He sighed. Not having a quirk basically made you the butt of everyone's joke and prone to mugging, bullying and public beat downs. Unfortunately, most people underestimated Ryosuke because of the fact that he was quirk-less, which made their loss against him in a fight all the more confusing to those who were watching. He sighed as he looked out his window, seeing the cherry trees beginning to blossom.

"I'll show everyone...I will uphold what is right and just until my last breath has been taken. I can help people in need! I can save people from danger! I can be a hero too!" He proclaimed to nobody in particular.

* * *

 **Present Day**

* * *

Ryosuke slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the light reflecting off of the completely white room. His mind was still fuzzy, and his thoughts were still clouded. "Where...where am I?" He asked in a small voice.

 **"It would appear that you've been taken to a hospital."**

Ryosuke looked around, trying to figure out the origin of the voice.

 **"If you're looking for someone, you won't find them. I'm in your head, Ryosuke. Don't you remember what happened?"** The voice asked. Ryosuke tried his hardest to remember.

"I was climbing Mount Akina with Aki and Itashi, and we were after this statue. We took a photo and then the ground started to shake. This Phoenix popped up and he...flew into me." He could barely string together the events, still in disbelief.

 **"That is correct. That Phoenix was me, Ryosuke. My power and your body have fused together. Right now, we are two distinct entities, sharing your body."**

"We..fused?" He asked. **"Yes. I don't think you know it, but I've changed your very genetic makeup. For a while, you'll feel different, as you'll need to adjust to the changes your body is undergoing."**

"I see. So...can anyone else hear you?" **"Only you. I'm sort of...watching you but also within you."** "Oh." **"I'm sure this is a lot to take in, not to mention the strain my power has placed on your body. You need rest."** "Ya think?" He asked sarcastically. It was at that point that he heard muffled voices outside.

"He's in here? Unconscious, you say? When was the last time you checked on him?" The voice asked. "I-I'm awake! Whoever it is, come in!" Ryosuke called. The door opened, and Ryosuke saw a man in long, ragged clothes come in. "Ah, you must be Ryosuke." Ryosuke looked at the man, but he hadn't moved or said a word yet. Instead, he looked over the side of his hospital bed, to find a white bear standing beside him, fully dressed in a suit.

"Would you mind helping me up?" The bear asked in a curiously friendly tone. Still weak, Ryosuke lifted the bear up onto the side of the bed with surprising ease. "Thank you very much!" "I'm sorry to ask, but...who are you?" The boy asked with a hint of concern. "Oh, yes! How rude of me! I am Principal Nezu!" The bear announced.

"Principal? Of what school?" "Why, U.A. of course!" Ryosuke pupils dilated, and he gasped. This was the principal of the top hero school in the _country_ , even the world? "B-But then, who's he?" He pointed to the man. "Mr. Aizawa is a good friend of mine, also a teacher at U.A." Nezu explained.

"I see. So, what does this have to do with me?" "You're joking, right?" Aizawa spoke up, the bags under his eyes growing larger every minute. Once realizing Ryosuke was completely oblivious, he sighed. "I don't know how you came to find it, or why it chose you, but...you're in possession of a very strong quirk now." He stated flatly.

Nezu nodded. "The Phoenix is a sort of quirk which has been around for a long time, likely even before quirks themselves existed. It's incredibly rare, only having been on record a mere 5 times before you. However, the beholders of the Phoenix all had one thing in common." Nezu informed. "What would that one thing be?" Ryosuke asked curiously.

"They were all vigilantes." Aizawa warned with a hard glare and a harsh tone. "V-Vigilantes?" "Yes. Through reasons we have yet to discover, each of the wielders of the Phoenix were harsher and less merciful towards villains, taking matters outside of the law and into their own hands. So, we're hoping that because we've found out about it, we can hopefully correct this issue." Nezu explained without a hint of negativity.

"Listen, kid. Your quirk is special. Really special." Aizawa kept his words concise and blunt. "Why?" "Because while all quirks fall into one of three categories...yours falls into two. All of them if you count the physical change your body undergoes." "What? That's impossible!" Ryosuke protested.

"But it isn't. Your quirk is both an Emitter and an Augmenting type. You're capable of wielding fire, while also greatly improving your physical strength and speed, and there have been records of the previous wielder...flying." An uncontrollable smile spread across the teenager's face. "That's awesome!"

"Awesome? Sure. Life threatening? Doubly so. You're dangerous, kid. That's why we came here. If we can train you to be a hero under the law, you can help society in a better way." Aizawa told him. "Wait...you're going to train me?"

Nezu seemed to chuckle at this. "I don't know about you, but if the head of the most prestigious school came himself to meet me and I didn't get an acceptance letter, I'd be devastated, wouldn't you?" He asked. At this point, Ryosuke's head finally clicked, all the pieces coming together. "I-I'm going to U.A.?" He asked in disbelief. The two nodded.

"Entrance exams just happened, so the timing is really bad. You'll have to replace someone's spot, but that's a sacrifice we're willing to make. I'll be teaching you personally." Aizawa started with a hint of annoyance. "Yes. So, we will see you in 6 weeks." Nezu hopped off the side of the bed. "W-Wait?!" Ryosuke called. They turned to him. "Yes?" "If U.A Is in Tokyo, don't me and my family have to move?" He asked.

"We've worked out an agreement with your parents. You will stay in Tokyo on your own, since you'll be of legal age by the time school starts again. We will provide you with a small apartment to live in and a monthly sum with which you can buy your basic necessities." Nezu explained to him. "Seems like a lot of money just wasted on one kid..."

"You're gonna become a Pro Hero, kid. Your service should more than make up for it. Let's go, Nezu. We should get back to Tokyo before dark." Aizawa led them both out of the room with a curt goodbye and a pawed wave from Nezu before they left.

Ryosuke leaned back in his bed. "I'm no longer quirk-less, and I'm going to U.A. I'm no longer quirk-less, and I'm going to U.A." The more he said it, the wider his smile became. Filled with excitement and anxiety, he exhaled deeply, tired and completely overwhelmed by the influx of information he'd received.

 **"You'll make a fine hero, Ryosuke."** "And you'll help me with that, but I'm warning you now, we aren't doing any shady crap, alright? The justice system is a system for a reason." He warned. **"I am not in the mood to argue and you are too young and immature to have a properly formulated opinion. We can debate this matter at a later date. For now, Ryosuke, do yourself a favor and rest up. You have 7 weeks to get a general idea of how your quirk works before being flung into U.A."**

"Right. Thanks...Phoenix." He said as he shut his eyes. **"You're welcome."** But the boy was already fast asleep, burnt out completely.

* * *

 **A.N: No freakin' way! I can't believe I pushed myself to do this! Sorry if this chapter is a little crazy and dialogue-heavy, but I figured that if I keep the time Ryosuke was quirk-less short, it'd leave more time for exposition in the rest of the chapter. The following chapters are really important, and I'd love to hear first impressions. Anything I should change? Keep? I know that this may not be the best, but I'd love to hear any thoughts, so leave a review!**

 **Until we meet again, reader!**


	2. The Road To UA

**Ch 2: The Road To U.A.**

* * *

After 5 weeks of therapy, surgery and treatment from the incident, Ryosuke was relocated from the hospital back into Gunma. The first thing he did when he got home was explain everything to his parents in as much detail as he could. The results were not what he would have expected. Rather than his parents feeling a sense of pride and joy for their son's newfound power, they were angry and upset about what had happened to cause the situation in the first place.

"You almost died!" "I can't...not again...my heart would break, Ryosuke. Don't you realize how much you made us worry?" His mother asked, on the verge of tears. He shrugged. "Isn't the point that I'm alive, and not only that, but I'm going to U.A.? Can't you guys be happy for me?" He asked, visibly hurt by their reactions. They calmed down, sighing.

"Listen, son. We're more than happy that you're going to U.A. It's a privilege to even step inside those gates. But you have to understand what happened when we heard that there was an accident on Akina while you were gone. We..." His father stopped, and Ryosuke nodded slowly.

"You assumed the worst. And after Kyoko, I...I understand your feelings. I'm sorry I caused you so much stress." He replied. "I don't wanna argue, especially since I have to leave in a week. So, until I'm gone, we'll do whatever you guys want. And I'll do my best to come and visit when I can." He promised. His parents' faces brightened.

"Thank you. We know you'll do well, Ryosuke." His mother reassured him. "Say, kiddo, when did you dye your hair?" His father asked. "My hair? What're you talking about, dad?" His mother gasped. "R-Ryosuke, y-your eyes, they're...orange!" She exclaimed. "What?!" He asked in disbelief.

 **"Remember when I said I'd change your genetic makeup? Your appearance falls under that too. You'll look a little more...fire themed."** Phoenix explained to him. "Ohhh." He said aloud. "What?" His mother asked. "O-Oh! N-Nothing, mom. It's just...part of the quirk." He explained nervously. "Alright...if you say so."

The next 10 days were spent exclusively with family and friends. Ryosuke never caught a minute's break as he felt obligated to do a whole multitude of things before he left for Tokyo. There was shopping with his mother for clothes and personal items. He spent a full day with his dad learning how to fix things around the house for when he went to live on his own. Under normal circumstances, Ryosuke would've hated doing these things, but knowing that they'd be applicable in the near future and that his parents were trying to help and support him made the experiences all the more meaningful.

On his last day, Ryosuke spent his time with Aki and Itashi, who were eager and jealous of their friend's newfound circumstance. "Dude, you're the luckiest guy alive. Not only do you climb a mountain, you awake some ancient power and then get to go to some super awesome school in the heart of the country? Why can't I have that?" Itashi complained.

"Hey man, maybe my quirk was luck and I just didn't know it." Ryosuke tiffed. "Well, whatever happens, good luck, man. We'll be cheering for you." Aki slapped him on the back. "Thanks guys." "'Kay, are we done with the sappy stuff now? Let's go! Buddy's only got a few hours before his train and I'm _dying_ to do something fun!" Itashi began to drag his two friends down the road. "Alright, alright! We're coming, relax!"

The hours seemed to pass by fairly quickly, and Ryosuke soon found himself at the front of the train station, accompanied by his father, mother and two friends. He grabbed his boarding pass and went up to his train. The conductor looked it over. "Ryosuke Nagasaki?" He asked. The boy nodded slowly. "Okay, you're all set! You're in seat 36, aisle O. It's just to your left once you enter." He nodded slowly. "Thank you."

Before he got on, he turned to his family and friends. They all instinctively waved at him. "Good luck!" "Don't forget about us!" "Hurry up or you'll end up missing your train!" He chuckled to himself, before giving one wide wave back. "I'll text you guys when I get to my apartment! Take it easy guys! Bye mom, bye dad!" He excitedly boarded the train, and not long after, the journey began. His path to becoming a hero had only just started, and yet he'd felt like it had been ongoing for an eternity before this.

As the bullet train picked up speed, Ryosuke could only look outside and see the changing blur of familiar mountains and trees to a more densely populated city, with soaring buildings and busy streets. **"Gunma wasn't nearly as busy as this."** Phoenix confirmed. "Darn right. I would've gotten lost before we even got into the main city." He commented aloud. Upon realizing this, his face went beet red as other passengers gave him an odd look.

He shook his head, sighing. _"Can you hear me like this?"_ He tried to communicate with his thoughts. **"Only if you're trying, apparently. That's the first time I've ever been able to see what you're thinking."** The boy sighed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to look crazy if he wanted to talk to Phoenix after all. After a few more minutes (the bullet train had moved faster than Ryosuke had anticipated), the boy hopped off the train, excited to start his new adventure.

With him, he'd packed a duffel bag of clothes and a backpack full of other stuff. He pulled out his phone to find directions to his new apartment. "Okay, I've gotta go to the Daiki Apartment Complex, Apartment 63." He mumbled to himself as he punched the address in. A map with a route appeared on screen, and Ryosuke casually followed the map.

What he thought was going to be a 20 minute walk from the station ended up being over an hour, and the boy nearly collapsed in desperation after getting lost multiple times in the large city. Eventually, however, he arrived at his apartment, where he received his key and traveled to the 6th floor. He looked down the hallway. While very large, the modest style of the architecture seemed to convey a budgeted modern style. He found the 3rd door and opened it using his key. As he stepped inside, he turned to see a man, sitting at the kitchen table, clutching a coffee. Ryosuke gasped, dropping his stuff.

"Oh, calm down, kid. It's just me." Aizawa stood up, leaving his coffee on the round table. "With all do respect, you could at least knock!" He protested. "Doesn't matter now, right? Listen, I'm here to give you this." In his hand, Ryosuke received a certificate, which he figured was for U.A. Next was a uniform. Two sets, actually. One for school and one for P.E. class.

"I'm not one for people who aren't comfortable with their quirk. I'll be pushing you to the limits from day one, so I suggest that you spend the next few weeks figuring out the fundamentals of your quirk. If you're really that driven, prove to me that you're not just another dreamer. Show me how strong you can _really_ be." Without another word, he left the apartment, coffee in hand. Ryosuke grumbled as he grabbed the rest of his things from his doorstep. "Jerk." He muttered.

 **"Rude or not, Aizawa is right. You need to figure out how to control this power, even if in one aspect for now."** "So should I just go and train, like, right now?" He asked. **"Are you in comfortable clothes?"** Phoenix asked. Ryosuke looked down at his orange T-Shirt and black shorts. "Yeah, they're alright." **"Then get yourself somewhere quiet, so we can train."**

"Quiet? In this city? Are you nuts?" He demanded. **"I am most certainly not. In fact, I've got a great spot for you. Just follow my directions."** He couldn't argue with that. With the rest of his stuff inside, he locked his door and let himself be guided by Phoenix's directions.

The journey was much simpler and faster than expected, as Phoenix's directions were exact and easy to follow. After a short while, Ryosuke found himself at the edge of the city, on a pristine, white beach. The ocean stretched out far and wide in front of him. "This sure seems like a comfortable place to train. But why the beach?" He asked. **"I don't understand..."** Phoenix muttered in disbelief.

"What? Something happen?" **"The last time I was here...this entire beach was filled to the brim with trash, to the point where it pooled inside the ocean and even sometimes flowed past the sand. But now...it's completely clean! How?"**

"Maybe they finally got around to cleaning it." **"That's good and all, but I was going to train you by making you use your quirk on the trash and now it's gone. You've only got a day left because of your injuries, so this is going to be a problem."** Phoenix seemed to huff at their situation, displeased. It was at this point that something caught Ryosuke's eye. A boy, short, with eccentric green hair, jogging down the beach.

Curious, he figured he could get to the bottom of the trash mystery. "Hey!" He called to him. The boy turned with a jump, surprised. "Sorry to bother you, but...who cleaned the beach?" He asked. The boy looked away, slightly embarrassed. "W-Well, if you want to know...I did." He stated.

Ryosuke's eyes widened in surprise. "You did? The entire beach?" The boy nodded slowly. "It took a while, but I managed to do it." "How? Why?" The boy smiled nervously. "It's part of my training. I'm...going to U.A., starting tomorrow." He stated quietly. "You're going to U.A.? Me too!" At this point the boy's eyes widened similarly to Ryosuke's a moment ago. "You're going to U.A. too? Small world!" "Yeah!"

Ryosuke held out his hand. "I'm Ryosuke Nagasaki." The boy shook it. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. Wait...are you that transfer student some of the teachers keep talking about?" He asked. He gulped. "Am I...that big of a deal?" He asked. "No, you're just, well...people are interested in you and your quirk...whatever it is. Do you mind if I...see it?" He asked excitedly. Ryosuke took a step back, nervous. "Well, I dunno, I, uh...I'm..." He began. "I wasn't born with my quirk."

He could barely get the words out of his mouth, both embarrassed and nervous.. **"What are you doing? This is supposed to be classified!"** Phoenix hissed. But Ryosuke didn't care. The more people knew, the less people would be afraid. "My quirk is really dangerous. Apart from being one of the strongest in the world, it's also...sentient." He continued. Izuku gasped. "S-Sentient? What do you mean?" He asked, anxious.

"I mean I can talk to it, er, him. It's like...I dunno...I was fused with an ancient being. He's inside my body, but still his own entity. My power comes from him, and we share my body." Ryosuke tried to explain. Izuku just stood there, nodding between sentences. "But...why are you telling me all this?" He asked after Ryosuke had finished. He scratched his head. "I feel like...if I'm perfectly honest with people, they'll be a little more friendly. I mean, I literally know nobody around here." He told him. Izuku gave him a smile, and held out his hand. "Don't worry. I'll be your friend. And we'll become Pro Heroes together!" Ryosuke shook it.

"Now, about that quirk of yours. I still wanna see it!" Izuku exclaimed excitedly. Ryosuke stretched. "Alright, I hope this works." He took a wide stance. **"Just focus your energy on your body. Feel the fire burning inside you, and connect to it."** Ryosuke took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and tuned out any sounds. He began to focus his energy on his hand. As he opened them, he looked and saw that his hand was on fire. _His hand was on fire._

"Yoooo! It works! It works!" He shouted excitedly. Izuku watched intently, taking out a notepad and opening to a new page to begin writing. Ryosuke looked out onto the ocean front. With one spark of his hand, he created a fireball in his hands, and threw it over the ocean. The ball sizzled through the air until it dissipated over the water. "Ha ha! This rocks!" He exclaimed as he tested and tried anything he could think of. He set fire to both his hands, his arms, even his hair. He spewed flames in pillars over the ocean, and tested the range that he could shoot his flames.

 **"You seem to be adjusting quite well to the increase in power. Impressive. Although, there is still the stronger aspect of my power that you have yet to use, Ryosuke."** Phoenix told him.

He stopped, and Izuku looked at him, confused. "Hey, why the long face all of a sudden? Something wrong?" He shook his head. "Apparently there's something else to this quirk. Something stronger." He told him. "Can you see if you can get the hang of it? You sure picked up on how to use that fire pretty fast." Ryosuke nodded, returning to his original stance.

 **"This power is different, Ryosuke. In addition to giving you control over an element, my power also allows you to greatly increase your physical abilities. You'll be faster, stronger, and more durable. You need to concentrate on feeling the fire in your hand, while not letting it escape your body, so it stays locked inside yourself. This is going to take time to work out, and likely will cause pain the first few times, but it can be done. You _will_ do it. You _must_."**

Phoenix's voice became more forceful as he continued. Ryosuke gulped. "I have to do it...I can't let...the fire...escape..." He tried to focus on his hand, but he'd spent too much energy on his first time through. Before he knew it, a burst of flames shot out of him like a ring, nearly burning Izuku, who jumped back with a loud scream. A plume of smoke emitted from Ryosuke, who was exasperated on the beach.

After the fire cleared, he scurried over to Ryosuke, now on his knees on the sand, exasperated. "Hey! Are you okay?" He asked. Ryosuke looked at him, while Izuku held his hand out. "Y-Yeah, I think. I'm just t-tired out. I didn't realize how much...energy that takes. I n-need to get home...rest up for tomorrow..." He barely managed to say as Izuku pulled him up.

"T-Thanks Midoriya." He mumbled. "Call me Izuku." He said as he led him off the beach. "Say...where do you live if you transferred?" Izuku asked. "I...live in the...Daiki..." Ryosuke stopped speaking as he passed out on the grass before the main streets, the last thing he remembered being Izuku crying his name.

* * *

 **A.N: Okay, there was a chronological error on my part. I didn't realize that I left a huge gap of time between the incident and the first day of U.A., so I edited this chapter to make more sense and clear up the issue. My bad. Also, Ryosuke's got a feeling for his power! But not all of it just yet. It wouldn't be an interesting story if he could go all out from the get-go. I wonder how he'll fit in at U.A.? Hmm...**

 **Also, I finally cleared exams! Which means I have more time to write. I'll do my best to upload a chapter (maybe 2 if get a good flow going) per week during the summer. We'll sort out a school schedule when we get there.**

 **And we've got reviews! Thanks to DoctorStars for leaving the first ever review on the story!**

 **DoctorStars: Kinda going for an orange-on-black color scheme. Still wanna work out the total design, though. If anyone's got a suggestion, please let me know. Art is the bane of my existence so designing his costume might take longer compared to a normal person since i's hard for me to visualize.**

 **rae-rae-the-bae: Thanks! Here's hoping this chapter was just as good to you!**

* * *

 **Until we meet again, reader!**


	3. First Impressions

**Quick Note: Sorry if I'm not on schedule! I've completely lost track of time as I suffered a major allergic reaction last week and have been in really bad condition (I literally had to avoid sunlight) until now. I did my best to work on this story every day but I wasn't really myself so apologies if this chapter isn't my best work. Regardless, here's chapter 3!**

* * *

 **Ch. 3: First Impressions**

* * *

Ryosuke awoke abruptly as he felt his body being shaken like a rag doll. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Izuku, frantically grabbing him and shouting.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

"AHHH!" He screamed in surprised. Izuku, jumped back with a squeal. Ryosuke stood up, huffing and clutching his chest. "Dude...what the hell? Where am I?" He asked. Ryosuke looked around. He was standing in a larger, more open living room compared to his small apartment. Ryosuke looked at the large furniture and expensive stuff and instantly knew he wasn't in his own home.

Izuku cleared his throat. "Y-You passed out on the beach...I couldn't just leave you there..." Ryosuke raised his eyebrows, waiting to hear the rest of the story. "I...took you to my house to let you rest and make sure you were safe." At this point Ryosuke looked to a nearby coffee table and saw his backpack along with his uniform and his P.E. clothes. He turned to Izuku.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend I understand why or how you did what you did, but you did it anyway. So, thanks." He said as he grabbed his uniform. Izuku just gave him a nervous smile. "You're not mad? Even though I broke into your apartment?" "Did you trash it?" "No! Of course not!"

"Then no. I'm not mad." He said as he began to put on his uniform. "So...when do we have to be at school exactly?" He asked. "Well, we have to be at school..." Izuku looked at the clock and his eyes widened. "...In 15 minutes! We're gonna be late!" Izuku grabbed Ryosuke, who was still fixing his tie, and pulled him out the door.

The two ran as fast as they could through the city. Ryosuke took to the front, pushing people out of the way with his larger frame while Izuku tailed him, avoiding any and all people that Ryosuke was forcing through. Eventually, with but 5 minutes to spare, the two arrived at the entrance to the school, already sweaty and tired. "Man...that was not a fun way to wake up..." Ryosuke sighed.

"But we made it! We're here!" Izuku exclaimed with sparkly eyes. Ryosuke looked up at the gates in front of him. "No...freakin'...way." The towering buildings of U.A. stretched out in front of him, and the two entered the buildings, a bundle of nerves and excitement.

They blitzed through a horde of students and grabbed their schedules for the semester. "Okay...what hero class are you in?" Ryosuke asked. "I'm in...Class 1-A." Izuku told him after examining his paper. Ryosuke looked down, discouraged. "Aw man..." he started. Izuku looked at him. "Hey, we'll still see each other, right?" "No, it's not that, it's just..."

Ryosuke held up his paper, and a wide grin spread across his face. "I don't think I want to compete with you, Midoriya." His paper, much to the confusion and excitement of Izuku, also said that he was in class 1-A. "We're in the same class, yes!" Izuku pumped his fist in the air. "Alright, let's get moving! We gotta get ready for the orientation today!" Ryosuke pulled him down the hallway, eager to start his journey to become a hero.

The two stopped in front of the massive door that opened into their classroom. They stood in front of it, mouths agape. "What kind of kids are we in a class with..?" Izuku mumbled. With a huge gulp, he opened the door, and colour drained from his face. Ryosuke looked over his head to see what was the matter. The only thing that caught his eyes was the debacle on the other side of the class.

A blonde boy had his feet on the desk with a wide, snarky grin while a taller boy was lecturing him about integrity and manners. Ryosuke paid no attention to them until the two saw Izuku standing in front of him and came up to confront him. "Midoriya!" The taller one shouted. Izuku sank back a little bit, nervous.

"I admit, when I first saw you on the day of the exam, I thought nothing of you. But after I saw the way you destroyed that robot and saved that girl's life, I, Tenya Iida, concede...you were more perceptive than I. To see the second aspect of the exam was genius on your part and a huge folly in mine! I apologize for my treatment of you earlier and humbly ask for a fresh start." Iida held out his hand. Izuku smiled nervously, and shook his hand. "Thanks, Iida. It was really nothing..." Iida gave him a grin before looking above him and seeing Ryosuke. "And you? I don't recall seeing you at the entrance exam..." He racked his brain for any memory of him.

Ryosuke shook his head. "Yeah, I didn't take it. I got here on...recommendation." The class went dead silent, and most of the other kids turned to face him, astounded. "He got in here on a recommendation?" "No way!" "Dude's gotta be packing a serious quirk!" "He's kinda cute..."

Ryosuke instinctively took a step back from the gathering students before realizing he was backed up against a wall. He smiled nervously at all of them as they studied him with a curious eye. "Well, out with it, man!" A red-haired boy spoke with a casual tone. "C'mon! We all wanna know what your quirk is!" "Well, uh, it's, kinda hard to explain..." Ryosuke began. Thankfully for him, the bell rang at that exact moment, and everyone went to go sit down.

Before long, chatter arose. "Where's our teacher?" "Are they getting ready for orientation?" "I'm a bundle of nerves right now!" Before long, the whole class burst into conversation, except for Ryosuke, who sank back further into the desk at the corner in the back and kept his mouth shut. After a few minutes, Ryosuke noticed a yellow sleeping bag inching toward the door from outside, like a giant slug. "Uh, guys?" He asked.

But everyone was talking too loud. "Guys!" He shouted again. But they didn't hear him. At that point, Izuku screamed along with some other girl, and the sleeping bag opened and stood up to reveal Mr. Aizawa.

"Alright class, settle down." He spoke in a tired and grumpy tone, which reflected on his attire and appearance. Aizawa looked like he never knew the definition of sleep, and hadn't seen a bed in the last decade.

"I am Shota Aizawa, I'll be your teacher for the hero course at U.A. Now listen up: you're here to become Pro Heroes. That's what we're training you for. Don't expect this to be a walk in the park. We'll be pushing you to your limits from here on out, and for some of you, it's going to take a lot of work and training with your quirks to get them to Pro-Material. Now, get dressed into your P.E. uniform and get outside. You've got 15 minutes. Go." He ordered after the brief speech.

In a flash, everyone scrambled out of the classroom with their P.E. uniform in hand, racing for the change rooms. While changing, Ryosuke realized how much of an advantage he had over most people. Excluding 3 or 4 people, he was the tallest, and judging by looks alone, he could probably hold his own in terms of raw strength too. _"If only I could figure out the Augmenting part of my quirk..."_

 **"You will. It will come naturally. That's how it usually does. There will be a time where you will need it, and when that time comes, you will know how to use it. Give it time, Ryosuke."** Phoenix instructed him. Ryosuke nodded slightly, to show he understood. After another minute, the boys all packed up and headed outside.

When they arrived, Aizawa was already explaining what was going on to the girls. "Alright class, listen up. Today we're gonna see what you're made of. No holds barred, no repression of your quirks." "Wait! What about the orientation?" One of the students asked. "If you want to go, I'm not stopping you. But we're here to train your quirks, not show off or waste time."

Nobody dared move or speak. "Good. Now that you've all decided to stay, I'll explain what we're doing. It's a physical competition. After a series of physical tests, the kid in last...gets expelled." Aizawa smiled evilly as the rest of the class looked around nervously.

"Are you kidding? Can you do that?" The red haired boy asked again. "I most certainly can, Kirishima. Now watch this. Bakugo!" He yelled. The blonde boy from earlier moved forward with a grunt. Aizawa walked up to him and handed him a small white ball. "Before this point, you were frowned upon if you used your quirk in any school class. Here, it's the focal point of your education. Throw this, Bakugo, using your quirk."

"Alright, you asked for it." He said with a hint of spite. Ryosuke watched as he stepped up to the plate and whipped the ball high into the sky with a huge blast and a loud "DIE!". The ball soared through the air, ripping through some of the lower level clouds before landing. Aizawa showed his reader to the class. "700 METERS!?" The class shouted in unison. Bakugo looked back at them. "What? If you're so impressed by that, then you might as well quit now...I'm just getting started!" He roared with ego.

Ryosuke studied him curiously. Bakugo would be a major asset as an ally...and a huge liability as an enemy. "Best to get on his good side...if he's got one." He thought to himself. "Listen. You've all done these tests before. You've just never been given the chance to apply your quirk to them. This is what today is for. It gives you a feel for the practicality of you quirk, and it gives me an idea of how powerful your quirk is...and can become. Now, let's get started." He finished with a wide yawn.

Then the tests began. In order, they were: Long jump, 50 meter dash, high jump, side-stepping, beep test, ball throw, grip strength, and elasticity. Ryosuke began to sweat as his turn came for the long jump. _"Phoenix! What the hell do I do? I've only used my power once!"_ He cried in desperation, all the worry and fears coming back to him like a rush. What would he do? What should he do? As he panicked, Phoenix spoke.

 **"Focus your energy on your legs...you'll figure it out from there I hope."** He told him calmly.

Ryosuke shook his head violently, trying to psych himself up. _"Alright, focus! You've got this...you got this...you...haven't got this..."_ He gulped as he stepped up to the mark. A beep was heard from the monitor on the side, and without thinking, Ryosuke ran. He felt his feet get hotter as he concentrated more energy into his legs and when the white line in front of him was no more, he jumped as high as he could. A large spurt of flames shot from his legs as he rocketed off over the sand pit.

 _"Oh my god I''m flying ohmygodohmygodohmygod...okay...okay, just stick the landing. Here...we...come!"_

Ryosuke stuck his feet out and stretched his hands out behind him to offset his weight. He landed with loud thud, but managed to keep his balance. Looking back, he noticed that Aizawa was looking at him curiously. His small frown curled into a grin as he received the results of his jump, but quickly faded as he ushered the next students on. _"How...how did I do that?"_

 **"Simple. You held your energy in, and released it at the perfect time. I'm surprised you could even manage it, especially after last time. You're learning pretty fast, Ryosuke."** _"I still have a long way to go. That was just mobility. I haven't even dipped my feet into any abilities for combat or recon yet."_ **"Give it time. You will learn. You're already improvising. Soon, you'll learn to adapt. Then, you can overcome anything."**

Since Ryosuke ended up going somewhere in the middle on each test, he had time to analyze his classmates to get a feel for their quirks and how they worked. At the moment, only 5 posed a real threat to him. Bakugo, Iida, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Midoriya, who had yet to show his quirk. Those 4 (Midoriya excluded) powered through each test with a style of their own, and Ryosuke felt intimidated by their prowess and ability to utilize their quirks instantaneously and without thought. Still, he pushed on, determined to prove himself.

He ran a 3.2 on the 50 meter, placed in the top 5 on high jump, came 8th on side-stepping, took 1st on the beep test, and managed to throw the ball a whopping 449 meters. After his throw, Midoriya stepped up to the plate, clearly nervous and scared out of his mind. He took a deep breath, clutched the ball as hard as he could, and went for a huge throw, attempting to use his quirk. Just before he could activate it, however, Ryosuke caught a red flash from Aizawa and Izuku threw the ball without using his quirk, landing only 50 meters or so away. Aizawa looked at Izuku with a hard glare.

"Listen, Midoriya. You can't let your arm explode every time you use your quirk. If you do, you're more of a liability than an asset." Ryosuke raised his eyebrows, curious, but didn't interject as Aizawa continued.

"You need to learn how to control your quirk, or else you're not really cut out for this course. You get one more throw." He ordered. Izuku nodded, and grabbed the ball again. This time, he went for the throw, and to everyone's amazement, the ball smashed through the air, travelling on the near exact course as Bakugo's. When Aizawa showed the reader, everyone looked at Midoriya in amazement.

"705 METERS?! NO WAY!" They shouted as a chorus. Izuku turned to face Aizawa, with a broken finger. "I-I can still move, Mr. Aizawa. I'm f-fine!" He told him. Aizawa gave a small, undetectable smile, and gave Izuku a slip for the nurse's office. All the while, Bakugo was shouting expletives and insults at him. Ryosuke wondered what had happened between them, but decided not to pry for now. He had to focus on the rest of the tests ahead.

The last tests were pretty easy and basic (probably done so that the students wouldn't have to use a ton of energy to do them), and Ryosuke barely paid attention as he completed them fairly well. At the end, when everyone had finally finished, they all huddled around in front of Mr. Aizawa.

"Alright, good job. Except for Midoriya, there were no injuries. Now, I could spend an hour reading the results and giving comments and criticisms, but..." He pulled out a remote and displayed a projection of the results in front of them. "...I think this is much easier." He finished. Ryosuke looked for his name. Sitting directly underneath Bakugo, in the top 5.

 _"Score!"_

The rest of the students stared at Yaoyorozu, Todoroki and Ryosuke, murmuring about how their skills are why they got in on recommendation. Shaking off their stares and comments, Ryosuke approached Yaoyorozu and held out his hand. "Hey, that was some pretty impressive stuff you pulled off. Congrats on the top spot." She blushed slightly, obviously tense, and shook his hand.

"Thank you. You managed to perform pretty well yourself." "I've still got a long way to go...we all do." Ryosuke's eyes scanned the class. "Well, I'll see you around." He said as he walked off. As he moved closer to the building, he met eyes with Todoroki, who gave him a curt nod. "Damn, people are kinda quiet around here..." And before he could finish his thought, Bakugo came up in front of him.

"Hey you!"

Ryosuke looked at him, unsure of what was happening. "Yeah?" "Meet me outside the school. 30 minutes. If you don't show I'll assume you're just another extra who's a waste of my time." Bakugo pushed past him roughly muttering to himself while everyone stared at them. Ryosuke shook his head, unsure of what to do, and went inside to think it out.

Against his better judgement (and the wishes of his classmates) Ryosuke headed out the front gates to the outside of U.A. Shortly after, he saw Bakugo coming towards him, dressed in a more casual black tank top and shorts. "Hey." Ryosuke called him over. "What did you want out here anyway?" He asked. Bakugo scoffed, then looked him dead in the eye.

"You...you and your quirk...you're a damn problem to me." "Uh, thanks?" "Listen. Don't let a word of this out to Deku or the rest of those damn nerds." Ryosuke nodded slowly. "I don't want anyone to know...that I want to fight you." He finished, his red eyes glowing at the thought.

"You want to fight me? Why?" "Because you're worth fighting damnit!" He shouted, explosions sizzling at his fingertips. "Those extras are all trash, every last one of 'em! But you...I know you're different. That's why I wanna beat you. So you and me, this Friday, at the training grounds. Don't you dare chicken out, and you'd better not hold back." He growled. Ryosuke held out his hand. "Deal." Bakugo shook his hand firmly with a wide, menacing smile. "I'll see you there...Ryosuke." And with that, he left.

Ryosuke looked around and sighed. _"What did I just get myself into?"_

 **"You'll have gotten yourself into a big mess if you don't train and practice. Bakugo could eat you alive with the kind of quirk he has, but you could easily do the same to him. The fight won't be about the stronger quirk, but the technique each of you use. I suggest you get to the training grounds this week: you'll need to practice with your power."** Phoenix explained in disapproval, as if scolding him. With nothing left to do at school, Ryosuke went home, and planned out his training and his options for the fight ahead.

This was going to be an interesting first week of school.

* * *

 **A.N: For those who may be wondering, a "beep test" is an endurance test where you run back and forth a given distance after the sound of a beep. The intervals between beeps gradually gets shorter each time, and if you don't make it to the other side before the next beep, you're out. It is commonly used to train your endurance.**

 **Okay! That was a long one to write, not because of the writing, but this is probably the 4th draft of this chapter alone. I'm really excited to actually start writing about Class 1-A and their fights and antics, so the next few chapters are probably going to be a bit longer/take longer for me to put out since they're crucial to developing Ryosuke and getting him settled into his own niche role and having him interact with the class. I'm still kinda new to this "official" writing thing (this is probably my 5th fanfic but it's the first one I've posted online) so if there's anything inherently bad (or good) about the story, please don't hesitate to let me know.**

 **Until we meet again, reader!**


	4. Fight Night

**Okay, real quick: I'm so sorry I haven't kept to my schedule. This chapter has been sitting on my PC for almost a week un-edited and I never got around to fixing it. I'm now forcing myself to do it at 10 p.m. so that you guys don't think I'm dead and/or have abandoned this story early on. Chapter 5 is already being written and it'll be a little more familiar to you guys. I hope you enjoy this mini-scenario I hastily set up for you all!**

* * *

 **Ch. 4: Fight Night**

* * *

After a quick break once he got home, Ryosuke headed over to the nearest gym to train. He had no experience in the way of combat with his quirk so he figured that he should make that the focal point of his training for now. He got in and practiced a few punches coupled with his flames for extra effect. Soon, he learned how to control his fire in such a way so that he could use it offensively against an opponent, though he knew he'd have to do better than that if he wanted to stand a chance.

He hastily made his way over to the beach again, where he did his best to create and perform some haphazardly primitive moves with his fire. It wasn't nearly as pristine or effective as anyone else's moves, though it would have to suffice for now. _"I'll have to hone it down over the rest of the week..."_

He returned to school for the next few days and everything passed as normal. That is, as normal as a class of the most prestigious hero school could be. Ryosuke found that he wasn't nearly as confident or outgoing as he used to be now that he had moved to a big city like Tokyo. He mostly kept to himself or ended up talking to Izuku, but he managed to befriend both Iida and Uraraka from Izuku and they accepted him pretty fast into their little group.

However, outside school, Ryosuke wouldn't really see anyone. He would go home fast and then train or play video games or talk to his family back home. He'd practiced throwing fireballs for a projectile move, and had also honed down a 'last resort' secret move which, when he tested, nearly made him pass out from exhaustion. He hoped that it wouldn't have to come to that.

However, everything seemed to change that fateful Thursday before the fight.

After getting basic training from Aizawa every day that week at Ground Beta, Ryosuke had managed to get a copy of the digital map of the entire fake city. During their hero class, Ryosuke brushed past Bakugo on the way to the front of the class and slipped a note on his desk as he did so. The note read. "We need to talk about tomorrow. Meet me here at lunch." There was no eye contact, no words spoken, not even an indication of any communication between them. The fight was secret and they hoped to keep it that way.

They _hoped._

A few minutes into lunch, Ryosuke checked his phone for the time when Bakugo slammed the door open, then slammed it shut again. "What the hell do you want? You chickening out?" He demanded. "Nah, but there's something you need to see. Sit." Bakugo scoffed and pulled up a chair next to his desk, while Ryosuke pulled out his phone and opened up the map. "You want this fight to happen, but I'm not getting into trouble if we don't have to." "Your point?!" Ryosuke sighed.

"There's a section of Ground Gamma that can't be seen by any of the cameras. It's a small section of the industrial area, and it should serve as a decent spot for the fight." "That's all you wanted to show me?" "It's easier to tell you now that tell you later, ain't it?" Bakugo grumbled. "Fine. Whatever. Just make sure you're not late. I'm not wasting any time waiting." And with that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the class. On his way out, he bumped into Jirou, who was walking by.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" He shouted as he pushed past. She rolled her eyes, before looking inside the class and then quickly dialling her phone. "Yeah. It's like I thought. Somethings going down tomorrow. What? We have to stop it? Why? Let the boys get in trouble, who cares?" After a lecture from the other caller, Jirou sighed. "Alright, fine. Let's get the class together. We'll round him up after school. Get Midoriya filled in, we'll have to use him as our bait. Alright, you're welcome. Bye." She hung up her phone.

That night, on his way out of the school, Ryosuke was stopped by Midoriya. "Hey, Ryosuke!" He called, a bit nervous. Ryosuke turned and smiled at his sight. "Hey man! What's up?" "W-Well, I, uh, wanted to know if you wanted to, um...go grab a bite with me, Iida and Uraraka. We wanna get to know each other better and maybe train for a little." He pulled out his wallet. "Dunno how much cash I have on me, but alright. Lead the way, Izuku."

With sweat trickling down his face, Izuku led Ryosuke across the school to the opposite entrance. They were about to hit the main foyer when the two caught Kaminari, Kirishima and Todoroki in front of them, forming a very awkward barricade. Ryosuke nervously waved at them, but they didn't return it. Confused, he continued walking towards them and tried to push through, but they wouldn't budge. "Hey, guys, what gives? Did I do something wrong?"

"I dunno, man." Kirishima began. "You tell us."

At this point, Ryosuke's eyes widened and he turned around to take another exit, before realizing he was being blocked on the other side by Yaoyorozu, Uraraka and Jirou. "Let's go, Nagasaki. Walk." Jirou told him harshly. Still in a state of half-shock, Ryosuke couldn't do anything but comply. He walked between the two groups of three in silence back into their homeroom class, where everyone (save Bakugo) was sitting, waiting for him.

Ryosuke took a seat in the centre of the class and sighed. "So, you guys found out." He began. "We didn't find out anything. Jirou plugged into the wall during lunch and caught a conversation between you and Bakugo about tomorrow." Kaminari began. Izuku looked at him with concern. "Ryosuke, what's going on? Is there something we should be worried about?" "I don't think so. Bakugo and I have a...personal matter to work out." He tried to be as vague as possible.

"A personal matter? Like what? You've only known him for 4 days!" Kirishima protested. "Look, guys, it's really none of your business." Ryosuke told them as he stood up. He wasn't going to tell, no matter what anyone threatened him with. "Look, Ryosuke...there's something going on, and illegal or not, we have a duty as classmates to look out for one another." Iida began. "That's great. You do that. But let it slide. If we wanted you to know we would tell you what was going on." Ryosuke stated, getting a little more than irritated.

He didn't have to take orders from anyone. He would fight Bakugo no matter what happened. A few of the girls looked at him with wide, concerned eyes. Silence filled the room. But a snap of Jirou's fingers quickly dispersed the mesmerizing tension in the room. "Wait...this is about that talk you two had on the first day, isn't it?" She asked. Ryosuke shrugged. "I can neither confirm nor deny that allegation." He recited, his father's countless teachings coming to mind.

 _"If you cannot tell the truth but don't want to lie, tell them you can't confirm or deny what they're saying. It's gives you an out that's less than admirable but still effective."_

Iida's eyes widened at the statement. "Why are you avoiding suspicion? What are you doing that is so private?" "Yeah! We wanna know, so spill it!" Kirishima shouted. "It's none of your _damn_ business, guys! Let me deal with Bakugo my own way and just leave it alone. I don't need any of you guys to talk me out of something I agreed to!" He nearly shouted, his hands getting hotter every second. They all instinctively leaned back in surprise.

This was the first time in a long time that he'd let himself get so worked up over something like this. He sighed, trying to cool down. "If you wanna know so bad, I'll give you but one hint. It's tomorrow night. That's it, that's all, go home. And I swear..." He said as he began to leave the room. "If anyone so much as _breathes_ my name to Bakugo about this...you're _dead_." He uttered in a low but furious tone.

The rest of the day was quiet. Ryosuke decided to have a huge dinner to get more energy in his system and go to sleep extra early so he'd be more refreshed in the morning.

The day passed without much talk. The entire class was pretty quiet and barely talked outside of the questions they were asked to answer during school. Even Aizawa seemed to notice that the students were off. And while Ryosuke never directly saw someone tell the teachers what they knew, he felt in the pit of his gut that they would get caught anyway. He sighed as he dragged on through the day, putting minimal effort into anything that required his quirk. He was strong, sure, and he could fight, but Bakugo had years of experience on him.

Eventually, the gruelling wait had come to an end, and the class watched as Bakugo cut the end of class by a minute or so without much scolding from Aizawa. With the day at its end, Ryosuke quickly hurried out of the classroom and doubled back around the west wing, where he managed to avoid the sight of any of his classmates...or so he thought.

Hakagure was about to become incredibly useful to the rest of class 1-A.

As the two boys walked, they rarely exchanged much words. They'd met up at the back entrance to Ground Gamma, where they continued to walk. They traversed through the industrial labyrinth, until Ryosuke found their secluded spot and they were out of sight from the cameras. With that they sat down on a set of pipes, and Ryosuke pulled out some extra food from his bag and a few drinks. He held out a bottle to Bakugo, who snatched it and tore the lid off.

Chugging the bottle, he threw it to the side when he was done. "Why the hell did you bring me a drink?" He asked, still angry but curious. "You barely ate anything today, I saw you. I doubt you've had much to drink either but you need to sweat to use your quirk, so I figured getting some extra liquid in your system would be good for you." He nodded. Bakugo did eat and drink more than the average person, but he never thought anyone would figure out why.

"You're pretty smart to figure that out." He told him gruffly. Ryosuke just nodded, continuing to snack on a bag of chips. After a few minutes of silence and the crunching of food, Bakugo huffed impatiently. "Are we gonna get started soon or what?" He demanded. Ryosuke shook his head. "I want the teachers to start clearing out before we get going. That way we can fight however we want, if at all. I assuming by the way you wanted this to go that we're running on street rules?" He asked.

Bakugo looked at him, confused. "You wanna go on street rules?" He asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone. "Yeah, why?" "Huh, you just don't look like the type of guy to wanna fight without rules in place." Bakugo commented with a click of his tongue. "Hey, I never got the chance to decide the rules in my fights, it was just 'get in there and swing'. But, I knew that you of all people would definitely not enjoy a fight where there's too many rules. So, it's all out, first to get a K.O. or pin the other down wins." Bakugo seemed to enjoy the brutal setup they'd devised and laughed.

"You know, you really are different from all those extras. Nobody's ever been brave enough, or stupid enough to stand up and fight me, but you're not only doing it, you're taking all the rules out too. I like it." He concluded. Ryosuke grinned. "Katsuki Bakugo, are we getting soft? You just complimented someone." He tiffed with a smile. Bakugo's face reddened and he shouted at Ryosuke. "SHUT UP! DON'T YOU DARE BREATHE A WORD OF THIS TO ANYONE OR **I'LL KILL YOU!** " He roared. Ryosuke smiled again, shook his head and stood up to stretch. "I figure that we've waited long enough. Time to settle this." He stated as he cracked his knuckles.

The two walked to either end of the pipeline strip and faced each other with now serious stares. Neither of them said anything. The fight had already begun.

There was no mark to start the fight; it began when the first person moved. Bakugo rushed Ryosuke head on, using his explosions to propel him faster and went in for a strong right hook. Ryosuke could barely dodge but managed to grab his legs as he soared by and lifted them up as high as he could, putting Bakugo upside down, where he landed a kick right in his stomach. Before he could attack again, Bakugo blew up one of his legs and caused him to lose his balance. When Ryosuke expected a burning feeling or a mark on his leg, he discovered he felt no pain.

 _"Wait a second...I'm immune to his quirk?"_

 **"Not quite. You're still susceptible to damage from the force of his explosions, but the heat and flames produced bear no harm to you."**

With this knowledge in mind, Ryosuke gritted his teeth. He could take more risks and absorb more explosions now provided they weren't strong enough to break anything. With ta spurt of confidence he rushed forward and ducked underneath Bakugo's grip. With a burst of flames on his legs and hands, he sprung up into the air, his flaming fist crushing Bakugo's lower jaw.

 **"SHOOOOOOORYUKEN!"** He shouted with surprising force.

After he landed, Bakugo took one second and looked at Ryosuke in mystification. A Street Fighter move or not, that punch hurt, and it burned bad too. If he wasn't more careful he'd lose some teeth. "Alright, Ryosuke, you've had your fun. Now it's my turn to dish out the pain!" In a flash, Bakugo was over top of him, and he stuck both his hands out behind him and blew him up. The force of the explosion shook the pipes around them, and Ryosuke was flung into one of the steel pipes. A crunch was heard as the 15 year old boy slammed against the wall.

He staggered to his feet, where he received another blow from Bakugo. Relentless in his assault, Ryosuke was flung back and forth from the explosions like a rag doll, never able to recover or counter his attacks. This onslaught continued on for a few minutes, the hits becoming more forceful and quick each time. Ryosuke had no time to think or act outside of constantly defending himself.

Finally, after a while, he'd had enough. In a fit of desperation, Ryosuke cried out. "That's _enough!_ " He was frustrated and furious. He was _not_ going to lose this fight, which meant he only had one option.

Ground Gamma would likely have permanent burn marks after this.

In a last resort measure, Ryosuke held his hands out in front of him and a circle of flame appeared around him. Bakugo stopped attacking him and stared at him in confusion. "What the hell are you doing?!" He shouted. "I'm ending this fight! Game over!" He said as the circle grew around him. Bakugo, sensing the danger of the attack, took to a defensive stance. He knew that if he could parry or survive the attack, he'd won the match.

With enough energy contained, he knew he had one shot to do this. Body ablaze, he began to make his final move.

 **"RED SUN!"** He shouted as he was about to release his attack.

"WAIT!" A familiar voice called.

And then they appeared.

All of class 1-A had shown up.

With their fight now out in the open, Ryosuke's circle vanished and Bakugo began to twitch, mouth agape. He'd been caught.

They'd been caught.

The whole class rushed to the aid of the two students, who both shoved them off rather roughly. They still hadn't settled from the fight yet. The boys stood beside each other as the class looked at them intently. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Kaminari looked around at the debris surrounding them. "What the hell happened here?" He asked. "Take a wild guess. Go on." Ryosuke urged him sarcastically. "You two...fought?" Uraraka asked. They nodded, still furious.

"All I wanna know is... **HOW THE HELL DID YOU FIND US HERE?!** " Bakugo shouted. It was at this point that a floating uniform and gloves began to move in a waving fashion. "That'd be me. We noticed he two of you guys were acting different...well, different from what we saw on the first day. Everyone got nervous and they asked me to trail you guys. We thought you two were gonna take steroids or do something illegal out here!" Hakagure explained. Ryosuke sighed. The one person he didn't take into account was the most detrimental in the end.

"Well, now you know. We fought. Bakugo challenged me and I accepted." "But...why? Why fight him? You two are going to be classmates for 3 years!" Iida protested. "Even so, we wanted to size each other up. The greatest honor one can receive is a worthy opponent." "Yeah, and this damn kid from outta town is still able to keep up with me, unlike most of you extras." Bakugo huffed with annoyance. He really wanted to finish that fight. "Well, no use finishing that now, right? I'm...done for the day." Ryosuke finished.

It seemed as though the fight had finally taken its toll. It was short, but Ryosuke's endurance with his quirk was his biggest issue. He could fight all out for 10 minutes, but after that, he was done. The two boys sighed and gave one final glare at each other, before Ryosuke held out his hand. "Good fight. Maybe again sometime?" He asked. "Humph. Yeah, whatever. You didn't do as awful as I thought. But you don't use your quirk enough in a fight." He scolded him. "And you use it too much. I think we're even." The class watched in amazement. Was Bakugo really talking to him like a normal person? "Whatever! Next time we meet in the ring, I'll crush you! Got it?!" He shouted.

Ryosuke gave him a small nod as he stormed off. With the rest of the class silent, Ryosuke pushed past them in the hopes of getting home to rest.

This day had been the best-and worst-of his life.

* * *

 **A.N: Ah! I did it! I actually wrote a fight scene! I took a lot of creative liberty with Ryosuke's fighting style. I've always had him planned as a strong hand-to-hand fighter, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity for some flare. Anyway, that was the first of many fights to come, so if I need to focus on improving a certain aspect of them, give me a shout. I know this fight seemed kinda short but in real life it was only supposed to be like 2-4 minutes.**

 **I also got more reviews! I won't make a note of showing all my responses to them since that could get crazy later on.** **However, I plan on highlighting clusters of reviews that are similar, or ones that are noticeably helpful.**

 **For example, Incarnate47 brought up a very good set of points about Ryosuke and how his Quirk could work, which I took to heart. Thanks!**

 **Well, that's all for now. Next chapter is all about collaboration and of course...costumes!** **If you've got an idea (because I'm pretty lackluster with fashion as a whole) send me a costume design you like and I'll gladly credit you if I use it.**

 **Until we meet again, reader!**


End file.
